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The Golden Hour – SAQA Last Call for Entries! (May 31)

In my 2nd part of my Quilt Market review, I will remind you that we still look at about 150,000 fabrics every year, and we buy about 14,000. There is some absolutely fantastic artwork out there in the market but you really have to go look for it and cherry-pick the lines. We are booked solid with appointments all 3 days of Quilt Market, searching for these treasures. There is a lot of bad artwork too, which we skip. There are some categories which are over-saturated so we also cherry-pick the best but skip a lot because the world does not need more artwork that has already been done, too many times. We champion true artists with true talent and unique ideas, because having a successful blog is not enough to sell un-original design. Those of you who have followed us for years know that we have a very particular “eye” for art, color and design, which cannot be duplicated. We dig out the gems that you just won’t see elsewhere. We scour the market for the fantastic art and design that deserves to be seen!

Some notes about upcoming trends:
Outlander Collection and Scottish themed cottons and flannels
(Think Men in Kilts… Tartan Plaids, Purple Thistles and Scotty Dogs)
Llamas and Alpacas are a trend for later this year – can’t wait!
Owls, Foxes, Hedgehogs and Woodland Animals continue with a Folk Art flavor.
Natural (Beige slub) linens used in quilts with Modern Brights, Printed Linen blends, Printed Chambray and Cross-Dyes, Faux Linen printed textures.
Retro Paris, Retro Travel , Retro Diner, Retro Sewing … nostalgia for simpler stylish times.
*Digital printed fabrics* is a high-quality category that continues to grow by leaps and bounds – the best ones are larger scaled, highly detailed illustrations with a wide spectrum of saturated colors. Mind-blowing and eye-popping!
Over-saturated in the Market – “Low Volume” prints, simple single-color prints with high prices.

Fabulous Collections coming in the next few months:
Kona Printed Color Chart – DIGITAL panel of *entire* Kona Cotton SOLID Color Chart. Yay!
Superluxe Poplin – We will stock ALL 49 colors, new *premium basic* from Kaufman
Dream Vacation – Vintage posters of European cities
Artisan Batiks: Totally Tropical 5 -batiks with shells, turtles, and palm leaf designs
What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss Enterprises – recently discovered work of Dr Seuss
Playing with Shadows by Darlene Zimmerman
La Scala 7 – intricate floral, paisley and mosaic designs in grey, blue and neutral tones
Perky Penguins DIGITAL panel
Insignia by Alison Glass
Linen Texture by Makower UK – linen texture prints, solid colors
Domino by Kathy Hall – black and white graphics, including Sasquatch!
Alpaca Dreams by Judy Gauthier, Llama Mama by Diana Mancini
Pet/Ocean/Zoo Selfies by Howard Robinson
Pandalicious – Panda Bears, Hello Ollie – Swans on Organic Cotton – Art Gallery
New Vendor: Blend Fabrics – Designer collections by Brenda Walton, Cori Dantini, Ana Davis, Josephine Kimberling, Molly Hatch, & Maude Asbury
Kanvas Studio – Railway Express, Scotty Love, Tea’s Me, Kitchen Love
Open 24 Hours – Retro Diner
Adore – Valentine’s Day collection
Forever Yours by First Blush Studios – chocolates & sweets
Kismet by Sylvie Demers – DIGITAL watercolor & birds
Salon Fleur by Studio Frivolite – Paris, postcards and large florals
Peaceful Gathering – folk animals and flowers

It is still SO exciting to go to Market and find the gorgeous fabrics and talented new designers for our avid fabric fans!